Knife man spared jail because of progress turning his life around

Sunday 21 August 2022

A knife-wielding man who left three fellow shelter residents fearing for their lives has avoided going to prison because the judge said it would be a setback.

The court was told the knife incident happened whilst Gage Saville was staying at a property run by the Sanctuary Trust, a charity offering accommodation, "support and a way forward for men who have a crisis in their lives and need help to get back into society".

It was eight in the evening on 18 June when Saville got involved in an argument with another resident outside the property.

The court was told there was a great deal of shouting and swearing.

Saville, who had been drinking, was angry because of the noise he believed the man and others had been making the night before. 

When the man Saville was arguing with walked back into the building, Saville followed him.

In what Advocate Jordan Gollop described as a "moment of madness", which the defendant admitted was out of character, Saville picked up a kitchen knife and threatened to stab three people.

The whole incident was recorded on CCTV.

According to Advocate Gollop, the three men genuinely feared for their lives. 

Saville then threw the knife on the floor and walked away. The police were called and Saville arrested. He was very co-operative and told officers he had only been wielding the knife as a scaremongering technique.

In court, Assistant Magistrate Peter Harris told Saville that it was clearly a very serious charge.

"As soon as somebody picks up a knife, events 'skyrocket'," he told Saville, adding that alcohol was clearly at the root of what happened. 

Nevertheless, Mr Harris told Saville he wouldn’t be going to jail.

"You have too much to lose considering the progress you have recently made in attempting to turn around your life."

Instead, he was given a 12-month probation order and 120 hours community service.